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=== North towards [[Kosovo]] ===
From the main bus station located next to the train station, take a bus #18 and get off on the stop just before a little bridge situated above the road to Prishtina. This stop is shortly after the bus goes through a very industrial district of Skopje (the bus is still on a dirt road but it has come up against a newer asfault asphalt road, the stop is not visibly marked so just press the button to get off when you are coming up on a bridge that crosses the road to your right). From there on you can walk to a gas petrol station located around 200m forward with the road (to it leads a small road parallel to the road to Prishtina; from the ride side of it). This gas petrol station is around 5km from the Ring road over which you have to pass. There are some cars going straight to Kosovo but it would be best if you find a ride to the Ring road and then cross to the other side. From there there will be only cars going to Kosovo as the border is only 12km away and there is only one village on the way.
Alternatively, you can try catching the bus #64 but it goes not so often as the bus #18. It goes to the village of Orman (make sure with the driver that it does; no one here reported taking this bus so far). This village is on the left side of the road to Prishtina already behind the Ring road. Thus, in the principle this is the best place you can get to.
You can check the schedule of the buses on the website: http://www.jsp.com.mk/VozenRed.aspx Be sure to to go to the second tab with 'Prigradski linii'. It is not sure if the schedule of the bus 64A on the website is the schedule of the bus 64 going to Orman. However, when you reach the bus station you can get all the information about bus schedules in one of the booths - the one situated closest to the city centre.
*alternate info* I'm not much of a wiki'er or a hitch'er, but this hitch was too good not to share. The U.S. embassy is a short walk uphill from the center centre of town. There's a traffic light in front of it on the main road out of town to Kosovo. Just flash your sign and a smile to anyone with foreign plates - it took me seconds. Roma kids will bug you for money there, but they're friendly.
=== West towards [[Tetovo]] ===
After the Serbian border the motorway from Macedonia turns into a normal road, but as it is the only road from Skopje to Belgrade, you have the same amount of traffic like on the motorway.
The E871 road towards Sofia splits off a few kilometers kilometres after Kumanovo. On Sundays, however, there are very few cars at the [[Kriva Palanka-Kyustendil border crossing]], and from Skopje on Sundays it may well be faster to go up to [[Niš]] in [[Serbia]] and then back down into Bulgaria instead of choosing this crossing.
*''After hitchhiking quite a few times out of Skopje in November and December 2011, I believe that it is best to take any bus (there are many of them going there) to Avtokomanda and leave the bus like 2 or 3 stops after Avtokomanda itself (a place where city buses are left for night). The stop is situated as soon as the bus goes off the main road leading out of the city. This will take place after passing under a bridge. Directly there you will see a petrol station which was always full of cars. I would get a lift there not more than after 5 or 10 minutes on average. I spoke few sentences in Macedonian (related to asking for a ride especially) and knew Russian so that enabled me to address all the people. So I guess there is no point in taking buses all the way to patarinas near Kumanovo etc. Half of the cars at this petrol station go to Kumanovo anyway. This is the place [http://g.co/maps/abd3e on the map]. Good luck! [[User:Rozwal|Rozwal]]''
== Sleeping ==
Free option is going up to Vodno mountain or Matka canyon and camp there. Vodno u an you can reach also by foot if not there is a bus taking u you until the funiculair funicular (pretty expensive) and after u you continue by foot. Matka by foot is a bit further (10 km) but easy to hitch to and also there's public transportation leading u you there. If u r you are without tent on Vodno top there are also some empty wooden houses perfect to sleep inside with a mat. [[Fedecicco|Fedecicco]]
If you're looking for a Hostel, check the Internet. There is a big choice of good places meanwhile.
To take a taxi is around 1 euro at most.
If you don't mind burning the midnight oil, there's an all night game/internet cafe café at the train station called "Insomnia gaming club". 40 dinars an hour. Exchange office can also be found, downstairs.
